Kallis says knew it was time to end Test career as he lost 'mental edge'

Retired South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis said that he knew that it was the time to draw the curtains on his Test career after the final Test of the year against India.

Playing with the grace and poise many players wish to possess at their peak, Kallis ended his 166-Test career on Monday with a match and a 1-0 series victory over India, in which he contributed a vital knock of 115.

According to Sport24, Kallis said that although his decision to retire was a tough call for him, he however, felt that his decision to stop playing Test cricket was purely a mental one as he had lost 'that little bit of edge', adding that he had 18 wonderful years and is 100 percent convinced that it is the right time for him to step down.

The report mentioned that it was a fairytale ending to a career which spanned three decades, with Kallis saying that he hoped that he has left Test cricket in a better state than when he started playing back in 1995, adding that he is thankful for every game I played, right up until the last one.

With 45 Test centuries and 58 half-centuries at an average of over 55, Kallis was the rock in the middle order of South African cricket and ended his career as the third-highest leading run-scorer in Test cricket with 13289 runs, with an average of 55.37, the report added.